House conservatives plot to oust John Boehner, and more must-reads

Several dozen frustrated conservatives in the House of Representatives are scheming to infiltrate the Republican leadership next year, National Journal reports, possibly by forcing House Speaker John Boehner to step aside after November’s midterm elections. National Journal reports conservatives involved in the deliberations say between 40 and 50 members have committed verbally to electing a new speaker. Organizers say if the numbers hold, they could force the Ohio Republican to step aside as speaker in late November by showing him he won’t have the votes for reelection in January.

Who is Sylvia Mathews Burwell? Today she is White House budget director, soon she’s expected to be named replacement for outgoing Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. The Wall Street Journal has a closer look at Burwell, including the challenges that face her if she wins confirmation as HHS head. In recent public appearances, she has often tried to simply explain the Affordable Care Act and its basic goals. “It is about improving access,” she said at a recent event.

When Dave Camp asks, lawmakers respond. The Hill reports a bipartisan pair of tax writers is seeking to extend a long-term break that allows small businesses to immediately deduct the cost of investments. Camp, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, has asked lawmakers to float proposals as the committee decides which tax breaks to make permanent and which to toss. Reps. Pat Tiberi, an Ohio Republican, and Ron Kind, a Wisconsin Democrat, would allow businesses to expense up to $500,000 a year. Expensing levels dropped to $25,000 this year.

Talk about a merger marriage. Author and professor Diane Francis writes in Politico that the U.S. and Canada should become one country. Francis lists several reasons, but here’s a sample of the economic argument: “Put together, the United States and Canada would be a colossus, with an economy larger than the European Union’s – larger, in fact, than those of China, Taiwan and South Korea combined. We would control more oil, water, arable land and resources than any jurisdiction on Earth, all protected by the world’s most powerful military.”

Duck, Hillary, duck. Check out this post on MarketWatch’s blog The Margin about a woman throwing a shoe at former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. “Is that part of Cirque de Soleil?” quipped the former first lady. “Thank goodness she didn’t play softball like I did.”